The Addams Family at the Mayflower

From the writers of the award winning Jersey Boys with music and lyrics from Andrew Lippa comes the Addams Family* – a musical comedy. Inspired by the legendary American cartoonist Charles Addams, this spooky, kooky family favourite is brought to life on the stage with fresh musical arrangements accompanied by a live orchestra. The Mayflower sees the UK and Ireland premiere of this weirdly wonderful show with a star studded cast featuring Samatha Womack as Morticia, Les Dennis as Uncle Fester, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Wednesday and Cameron Blakely as Gomez. Joined by Pugsley, Grandma, Lurch and the rest of the family, the show opens with the insanely catchy ‘When Your an Addams’ showcasing the casts exceptional abilities. The story that follows is one of trials and tribulations as Wednesday is all grown up with a big secret to tell.

This heartwarming story of love, family and friendship follows Wednesday as she invites her boyfriends family round to meet her kooky clan. After Wednesday shares a secret with her doting father, Gomez spends the whole evening in a personal battle of morality… should he keep her secret safe whilst keeping his cherished wife in the dark? It all comes to head with hilarious consequences in this wacky and wonderful stage show which will have you clicking and clapping away along all night.

I was expecting more of a pantomime affair aiming for more of a younger audience but I was pleasantly surprised by the satirical comedy matched with the catchy musical renditions which were pulled together by this incredible cast. Each and every character in this show was exceptional and together they achieved a flawless performance. Samantha is electrifying as Morticia, gliding across the stage with an unexpected warmth to her. Having only seen her in Eastenders before I wasn’t expecting much but I was blown away by her portrayal of this sultry matriarch, with a dazzling voice to match. Her chemistry with Blake is spine tingling and together they steal the show with their dynamic mix of wit and charm.

Carrie Fletcher really raises the roof with her performance as Wednesday Addams whilst her voice will leave you with goosebumps. Throughout the show she delivered standout performances but the highlight has to be her solo ‘Pulled’ which was spine tingling. Les Dennis is unrecognisable as Uncle Fester with his meddling, good natured ways and his romance with the moon, I think everyone had developed a soft spot for him by the end. Dickon Gough played Lurch who was another firm favourite, he did not need to say a word to have the whole audience in fits of giggles.

Diego Pitarch has done exceptionally when it came to the costumes and set, as they really help to pull you into their gloomy world. Each character’s costume matched their eccentric personalities and the detail that had gone into every single design was clear to see even from the dress circle. The stage featured two staircases which were moved throughout the performance to create the illusion of different rooms within the Addams residence. All the elements pulled together created a faultless performance for the whole family to enjoy. So if you`re looking to relive a childhood memory or create memories with children of your own, The Addams Family is the perfect show for you.

You can see the Adams Family at the Mayflower Theatre from the 18th July – 29th July 2017. For future tour locations and dates see here.